


All's Not Fair In Love And War

by orphan_account



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-26
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2019-01-23 16:23:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12511424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Set after New Earth, the Doctor makes a decision to handle an issue on his own and leave Rose behind, possibly for good.  With the help of an old/young friend, she finds out the real reason.





	All's Not Fair In Love And War

**Author's Note:**

> The first two chapters are tame but then it gets more descriptive especially when it comes to violence. All warnings apply.

Chapter 1 ~ Goodbye 

“If after all is said and done,  
You only find one special one,  
Then I’ve thrown down diamonds in the sand.” Warren Zevon

 

“Where have you been, mum and I were getting worried” 

Now, to be hugged by both Tyler women at once was a bit…well….one notch down from terrifying. Still he threw his arms around them both and hugged back, pulling away only when he felt Jackie’s lips connect with the new, new skin on his cheek. 

“How long was I away?” his time sense all thrown off by being battle weary. He dropped down on the sofa and sighed.

“Almost 2 full months!” a million questions dangled in the air between them but right now it was this.

“You said that you would only be gone a few days so we were worried that you were hurt or that you had changed your mind about, well….” She stopped, afraid that he might view her as too clingy if she completed her sentence. 

She bit her lower lip in worry, seemingly fascinated by a piece of thread hanging off her pajamas.

“Rose?” 

“I thought that maybe, being the ‘new, new Doctor’ and all you changed your mind about ‘us,’ you and me I mean. Maybe you decided to go it alone?” She motioned to herself and the Doctor. 

“I mean having me come with you and all.”

His silence spoke volumes.

He looked everywhere but into her eyes. He couldn’t lie to her. But if he could avoid the truth, well, the lesser of two evils

She was still learning about this new ‘man’ but she could not help but compare him to her first Doctor, who would smile occasionally but it was as if he had his own personal rain cloud over his shoulder. Always a heavy burden weighing him down. Now this Doctor who was seemingly light hearted at first suddenly had that same storm brewing in his tired eyes. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something happened while he was away but she told herself she would wait for him to confide in her.

In fact, the more she looked at him the more exhausted he appeared.  
The evening dragged on with some take-out and cheap wine when suddenly the Doctor pulled Rose aside and told her that they needed to leave because they had something to discuss. Rose took her now very tipsy mom by the arm and walked her very unsteadily back to her bedroom. She tucked her in, giving her a kiss and closed the door quietly behind her.

When she got back to the parlor the Doctor was already heading down the stairs. Even at a distance she could see that whatever was eating at him was serious. She took off down the stairs and barely caught up with him by the time he was putting his key in the door. Once inside he made his way to the jump seat without a word, leaving Rose to shut the door. Then he sat down with his long legs propped on the metallic guard in front of him. Rose stood by the rotor looking at him and then tried to make small conversation.  
“Movie night, right? What do you want to watch?” She tried to sound perky but couldn’t hide the trembling in her voice. It didn’t help that he didn’t respond, just sat there rubbing his face with his hands.  
“Doctor, come on the little banana cookies mum baked weren’t poisonous or anything like that.” No reaction, just the immovable force that was the Doctor.  
She crouched down in front of him.

“Please talk to me please. Whatever it is we can face it together, ok?”

He raised his eyes at this and just stared at her. Then he sighed and shook his head. He picked himself up and took her hand, not releasing it until they settled in the Library on their favorite couch. The Tardis had lit the fireplace and dimmed the lights in anticipation of the discussion to come. Even the machine herself felt the strain and knew that this was not going to end well.

Chapter 2 ~ A Heart Revealed

“Leave the fire behind you and start,  
I’ll be playing it by ear,  
Left here with an empty-handed heart.” Warren Zevon

They sat right next to each other on the couch, his thigh touching hers, his arm draped across the back of the sofa, near but not touching her shoulder.

“Rose….” he whispered, “Rose I need you to do something for me ok?”

“Anything you ask me to do I will. You know that”

“First please remember when I say this, I care for you very much.” He stared into the fire, its sparks reflected in his eyes. He was afraid that if he were to look at her, his resolve would just melt away. He continued….

“Well to get to the reason I wanted to speak to you in private is that I needed to let you know that I have to take care of something far away from here. I made a promise that I have to keep, and it is the reason I was gone as long as I was. Like I said I am sorry about that.”

She leaned her head against his chest, and placed her palm between his two brave hearts. The sound of them beating were reassuring and soothing as if they were only beating for her. They were the sound of her own personal lullaby. They meant home. She giggled to herself when she thought of that old phrase changed, to suit her purpose, “home is where the hearts are.”  
He shifted in his seat and she could feel the tension building in him. She could tell that whatever it was that he was about to say was not going to be pleasant.

“Rose” his strong voice barely a whisper. He looked at her then. He owed her that much.

“I need you to go back to your mum.” Rose sat forward a bit so she could see his face. 

“How much should I pack? How long do you think you will be gone?” 

There was a hitch in her voice which spoke more than words. He could feel wave after wave of misery coming from her. The air around her became thick, making it hard to breathe.

“Can’t I come? We are a team you and me remember?” She really didn’t want to sound like she was begging but if she had to stoop that low she would.

“No.”

She was shocked how those two little letters could deconstruct her whole life.

“Rose I really don’t know when I will be back, or even if I ever will” once again he fixed his gaze straight ahead. 

She felt like she was drowning and the hand that would always reach down to save her wasn’t there to save her.

There was complete silence.

Rose felt like she had been slapped. Leave the Tardis? Leave HIM?  
None of this made sense!

She stood next to him in front of the fire, only to have him bolt again.  
Putting his hands in his pockets he started to pace around the room like a caged beast, then in a fit of anger he shoved the double doors open and slammed them shut behind him. He did it with such force that a few of the books on the shelves by the door fell to the floor.

She couldn’t hold them back anymore so she just let the tears flow free. Pain, anger, hurt, disbelief; all of them jumbled together in her head. She wrapped herself in her own arms and sobbed, deep bone crushing, soul breaking sounds escaped her lips. 

He could hear her, could feel her unraveling with every word he had spoken. His words were like knives cutting her down and pulling the proverbial rug out from under her.

Her sobs became whimpers, but now she was seething and he knew what was coming next.

Rose took a couple of deep breaths and left the library, not bothering to pick up the books he left behind. She was curious as to where he went but she didn’t have to look far. He was deep in the console, ripping the Tardis to pieces to get it ready to go to who knows where. She watched him with his screwdriver between his teeth, both hands working feverishly to fix some switches here and some wires there.

He was speaking or rather what sounded like cursing in Gallifreyan, his jacket and tie tossed over the jump seat. She broke into the only smile of the evening when she momentarily found his state of undress and his passion as he worked somewhat…stimulating. 

She wanted too, no needed to confront him again but she decided it was going to be on her turf so to speak.

She walked right past him and proceeded down the hall to the one place she always felt safe.

She opened the door of her (used to be) room and out of habit locked it behind her. If he wants her out he will HAVE to talk to her and tell her the truth. She curled up on the bed and waited.


End file.
